Alison Rose Knight

By alisonroseknight, Jun 4 2016 12:11PM

When I pitched my YA book, Rosie Goes to War, to Hazel Cushion of Accent Press in July 2014 I was a hopeful but unpublished writer. Thankfully, Hazel and Editor Cat Camacho both loved it and wanted to see what else I’d written. I soon had a three book deal with Accent Press. I was finally going to be published!

Despite being the first book I pitched, Rosie Goes to War is the last of those three books to hit the shelves. Accent decided they wanted it to be part of their new YA launch at the London Book Fair 2016. It was a long time to wait, but the upside of this means that it is a paperback launch, rather than an ebook with print on demand. And before the publication date of 14th April, W.H. Smith had ordered 1,500 copies!

The launch itself was a great experience. The London Book Fair is a big, noisy, overwhelming space. Everywhere I looked were books, and people doing deals to buy and sell those books to readers all over the world. There were big publishers, independent publishers, foreign publishers and self-publishers. At their stands they greeted authors, agents and book buyers. The buzz of competition and commerce hummed throughout the great halls of Olympia, and in quiet corners people came together to sit and recharge their batteries, and make notes in readiness for their next foray into the madness of London Book Fair.

At the Accent Press stand, I met fellow authors and YA bloggers who have been helping Accent Press produce the best new YA stories for their range. And there it was – MY BOOK! I have to confess, I spent a lot of my time at London Book Fair holding and stroking a copy of Rosie Goes to War. I was so thrilled to see it in print at last, with such a beautiful cover, that I couldn’t put it down.

So now Rosie Goes to War is at last out there for everyone to see. Readers can follow Rosie back to 1940 and witness her adventures. The waiting is over, and now the waiting begins. What will people think? Will they love it as much as I loved writing it? I’m sitting here with bated breath, wondering what the first reviews will say.

In the meantime, a writer’s work is never done, and I’m back at the keyboard – this time Rosie is heading for Victorian London – and the adventure begins again…

By alisonroseknight, Feb 9 2016 03:13PM

I had quite a gentle introduction to publishing, with my first two books – Off the Record and Rescue Me being published by Accent Press as e-books and print on demand. But my next book – Rosie Goes to War – is a completely different matter, and it’s getting very exciting!

Rosie Goes to War will be published in paperback on the 14th April 2016, and can be pre-ordered NOW on Amazon:

It is part of the Accent Press new Young Adult book launch taking place at the London Book Fair from the 12th to the 14th April, and it’s already getting noticed.

Rosie Goes to War is even featured in a mini-video posted on Facebook on 27th January. I haven’t the technical know-how to download it onto my web site, so check it out here:

I’m gearing up for a blog tour, and there’s also talk of a schools tour! If you have links with any secondary schools who would like an author visit, please get in touch.

Exciting times! Now, I’d better get on with writing Rosie’s next adventure…

By alisonroseknight, Feb 9 2016 03:07PM

Got a nice write-up in The Town Crier magazine for the Chippenham and Calne area. The editor has also asked me to write some articles for future editions. My creative writing class at Chippenham College is full for this term. I’m going to be teaching a Life Writing course from April. Contact Wiltshire College for more details.

By alisonroseknight, Oct 14 2015 09:28PM

A published author from Wiltshire will be sharing her skills and knowledge through an exciting new creative writing course which starts at the Chippenham campus next month.

Alison Knight is looking forward to teaching those who would like to start a new chapter, saying: “I’ve met so many wonderful teachers who have helped me on my journey to publication, who have made creative writing fun and challenging and sometimes even life-changing.

“I am now looking forward to sharing my love of writing and encouraging and inspiring people on their own writing journey.”

‘Who? What? Where? When? ‘An introduction to Creative Writing’ is a four week course where learners will explore characters, genre, and writing in past, present and future tense.

Alison, who writes contemporary women’s fiction and young adult adventures, has always had a love of reading and writing, but didn’t start writing herself until her mid-20s.

After writing her first book, the mum of two decided to learn more about the craft of writing and went to university to study a Creative Writing degree, for which she received first class honours from Bath Spa University.

She also gained a Masters in the same subject from Oxford Brookes University and has been delighted to see her hard work paying off.

She already has two novels published after signing contracts with a publisher in 2014 and is looking forward to launching her latest tale Rosie Goes to War at the London Book Fair in 2016.

The course, which is suitable for anyone with an interest in creative writing and aims to inspire, motivate and inform, starts on Tuesday, 10th November, and takes place from 7-9pm.

For more information or to enrol visit www.wiltshire.ac.uk or call 01225 350035.

By alisonroseknight, Sep 16 2015 03:00AM

I haven’t taken a lot of notice of the school year in recent years – not since my youngest left school and headed off to university four years ago. I’m vaguely aware of the passing of terms and vacations as we live close to the village school and there’s a very brief rush of traffic just before nine and just after three in term time. Working at home, I can hear the little ones shrieking and laughing at play time. It’s always a happy, uninhibited sound which makes me smile.

But I’ve suddenly got to start taking notice of term dates because I’m about to embark on a new career as a teacher of creative writing.

On 10th November 2015, my first evening class begins at Wiltshire College’s new Chippenham campus. It will be a four week course for beginners called Who? What? When? Where? An Introduction to Creative Writing. Then I’ll be teaching a ten week course called Starting to Write from 12th January 2016.

Being given the chance to stand on the other side of the chalk-face (okay, I know it’s all whiteboards and PowerPoint these days, but you know what I mean!), is a privilege and a very scary adventure. I’ve met so many wonderful teachers who have helped me on my journey to publication, who have made creative writing fun and challenging and sometimes even life-changing. I still attend classes and workshops when I can, knowing that none of us is capable of knowing everything, and that we can all continue to learn from each other. Even though it’s a daunting prospect, I’m really looking forward to teaching.

I hope that I will be able to share my love of writing with my students, and encourage and inspire them on their writing journey.

If you’d like to enrol for one or both of my courses, please get in touch via the contact page.